Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has conducted surveys on trends in the level of public support for releasing beavers into the countryside.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
No surveys on trends in the level of public support for releasing beavers into the countryside have been conducted. However, levels of public support for releasing beavers into the countryside was assessed as part of the 2021 consultation on the approach to beaver reintroduction and management in England. 3095 respondents answered the question “do you agree or disagree with the proposed approach to beaver reintroductions?”. 69% selected agree, while 31% selected disagree.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 22 January 2025 to Question 24031 on Waste: Codes of Practice, if he will publish the 35 responses.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
At this stage, the Government has not yet finalised its assessment of how it can further support local authorities to tackle litter. Any new announcements will be announced in the usual way.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of precedents for unilateral environmental measures in trade agreements on the sandeel fishing ban within the Trade and Cooperation Agreement arbitration process.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The arbitration process pertaining to the dispute brought by the EU against the UK prohibition of fishing for sandeel, and our consideration of the issues, is presently ongoing. We will fully consider the tribunal’s report and the impacts of it in due course.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) internal policy reviews, (b) independent reviews, (c) external reviews, (d) taskforces, (e) public consultations, (f) investigations and (g) other reviews their Department launched between 5 July 2024 and 5 January 2025; what the titles were of those reviews; and how many of those reviews have been (i) completed and (ii) published.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has outlined its ambitions through the Plan for Change, which sets out an ambitious set of milestones - across the missions - for this Parliament. As the House would expect, the Government continually reviews its work to ensure that it is delivering the best outcomes for the people of the United Kingdom, and that its policies continue to represent the best value for the taxpayer. Public reviews will be available on Gov.uk as they are published.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the policy paper entitled Simpler Recycling in England: policy update, published on 29 November 2024, what the evidential basis is for the statement that he inherited legislation that could have required households to have up to seven bins.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Act 2021 created a requirement for the six recyclable waste streams to be collected separately from each other and be re-collected separately from residual waste for all households in England.
The Government has now laid regulations to streamline waste disposal so that all areas have the same rules to tackle the avalanche of rubbish communities are facing and clean up our streets for good.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department holds data produced by WRAP on the number of containers required for waste and recycling collections by each waste collection authority.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No, Defra does not hold this data. The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) collect local authority-reported data on dry recyclable and organic waste stream collection models, which is publicly available on WRAP’s local authority data portal.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has commissioned modelling on the reduction in residual waste collection frequency as a consequence of the Simpler Recycling programme.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For too long, households in England have been presented with a muddled and confusing patchwork of approaches to bin collections.
This Government inherited legislation that could have required households to have up to 7 bins, placing an unnecessary burden on people and businesses. We are simplifying the rules to make recycling easier for people in England, while stimulating growth and maximising environmental benefits.
Through Simpler Recycling, all householders will receive a comprehensive and consistent set of waste and recycling services. This will enable householders to recycle as much waste as possible and to frequently dispose of bad-smelling food waste, which will be collected from all households at least weekly.
Defra recognises that as recycling services are expanded and improved, local authorities may want to review residual waste services to ensure they are providing best value for money in line with local need. The Government’s priority is ensuring that households’ needs are met, and we expect local authorities to continue to provide services to a reasonable standard, as they do now. Building on existing and new legal duties, Defra has published guidance to ensure that local authorities consider certain factors when they review services, to ensure that reasonable standards are maintained.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has held discussions with WRAP on the frequency of household residual bin collections by local waste collection authorities.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Through Simpler Recycling, all householders will receive a comprehensive and consistent set of waste and recycling services. This will enable householders to recycle as much waste as possible and to frequently dispose of bad-smelling food waste, which will be collected from all households at least weekly.
As is currently the case, waste collection authorities should continue to decide collection frequency and methodology for collecting the residual (non-recyclable waste) and dry recyclable waste streams and do so in a way that meets local needs and provides value for money for the taxpayer.
The Secretary of State has not held any discussions with WRAP on the frequency of household residual bin collections by local waste collection authorities.
Defra recognises that as recycling services are expanded and improved, local authorities may want to review residual waste services to ensure they are providing best value for money in line with local need. The government’s priority is ensuring that households’ needs are met, and we expect local authorities to continue to provide services to a reasonable standard, as they do now.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 3 January 2025 to Question 20290 on Domestic Waste: Waste Disposal, whether his Department has undertaken an (a) equality impact and (b) environmental principles assessment in relation to the Simpler Recycling policy.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Yes.
Asked by: Joe Robertson (Conservative - Isle of Wight East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 20 December 2024 to Question 19918 on Waste: Codes of Practice, what representations he has received, on outsourced private enforcement firms issuing fines in breach of non-statutory enforcement guidance.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Current littering enforcement guidance for local authorities is clear that where external contractors are used, private firms should not be able to receive greater revenue or profits just from increasing the volume of penalties and that local authorities remain responsible for the whole enforcement process, whether they contract out part of it or not.
The previous administration consulted on whether to place this guidance on a statutory footing. 35 responses were received, some of which discussed the use of private enforcement firms.